If your top and bottom jaw don't seamlessly fit together, you could be subconsciously shifting your jaw throughout the night in an attempt to get comfortable.

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Or, you may have what Dr. Sutera calls a parafunctional habit. Similarly to biting your nails, clenching or grinding can be a physical tic that serves little purpose, but it's soothing in a psychological or neurological sense.

"Your jaw should be resting at night, but with bruxism, it's like your jaw is exercising for eight hours straight. Just like you would become sore after an excessive workout, so does your jaw. The muscles develop a chronic strain that feels stiff, sore, and painful to move," Dr. Sutera explains.

The good news is that parafunctional habits can be broken, but Dr. Sutera admits it's easier said than done.

"The key to reducing pain from bruxism is allowing the jaw to relax in a stable position," Dr. Sutera says.

This had me wondering if changing sleeping positions would do the trick — which just so happens to be one of the most frequent questions patients ask Dr. Sutera.

His response: "The answer is a bit of yes and a bit of no."

Dr. Sutera confirms that some very early studies indicate that sleeping on your back or side could decrease clenching and grinding, but he doesn't consider this to be a useful recommendation.

He also suggests stretching your jaw by opening your mouth wide periodically throughout the day and holding for 15 seconds at a time.

Lastly, Dr. Sutera urges you to reach out to a specialist for help — especially if you're experiencing moderate or severe symptoms (other indicators of bruxism include headaches, fatigue, and ear pain) consistently for more than two weeks.

A professional should be able to easily improve any disharmony in your jaw alignment, recommend a mouth guard, replace worn-down fillings, or adjust teeth that are hitting each other excessively hard.